Outdoorsman Lab Ultralight Sleeping Pad

I’ve been backpacking for more than 30 years and have slept on just about every pad/mat/surface imaginable. This is by far the most comfortable, lightest weight, and compact sleeping pad I’ve ever used and will be my go to choice for all future trips. I had the opportunity to test it out on a recent two night backpacking trip and could not have been more pleased with its performance and convenience. It compares favorably with other inflatables I’ve tried from brands like Thermarest or Big Agnes that are two to three times the price. It is easy to inflate, easy to deflate, and incredibly compact. One point I will make is that unlike a solid foam pad, inflatables like this one aren’t great for sitting on them without touching the ground. Inflatables like this one will keep you off the ground when your weight is fully distributed across them while lying down. If you are sitting or kneeling though, you will bottom out. I mention this because it may seem like the pad isn’t working at first when you’re climbing into your tent and sleeping bag. But once you lay down, the pad does a great job keeping you off the ground and comfortable, even if you’re sleeping on your side. The only situation I won’t likely be using this mattress for is for mountaineering/snow camping. While I think it would still do a fine job keeping you comfortable, it is too light and not thick enough when inflated to keep you warm sleeping on top of snow. You’ll want something with a much higher R-value for snow camping...or combine this mattress with a more traditional pad like a Ridge Rest or Z Rest to help boost the insulation. But for everyday backpacking and/or car camping, this is an outstanding product and one of the best values you’ll find in this category anywhere! Happy Trails!

I needed a lightweight, compact, inflatable sleeping pad for a motorcycle trip that would include a night of camping. This item fit the bill perfectly! I have slept on different inflatable mattresses and pads before, and I have always found them uncomfortable. Most of the single pads are basically swimming pool rafts, and even my large Coleman inflatable queen leaves a lot to be desired. When i pulled this pad out of the packaging and inflated it, my wife and I both looked at each other thinking "no way!" It was disturbingly thin, and made from very light material, although it did have a feeling of sturdy construction (far more so than the last "pool raft" I tried to sleep on). She laughed and said: "do we have time to order you a real one?" Then we laid it down on the kitchen floor and tried it out. We were both surprised at how soft yet supportive this thin little sleeping pad was. She even turned over on her side and was surprised to find that her hip wasn't diggin into the floor. So I figured I'd give it a shot, worst case being a crappy night's sleep. Fast forward a few days, I arrive at the campsite, set up my stuff, and lay down. I tried to pick a piece of ground that was as level as possible as grassy. Down goes the tarp, then tent, then inflated pad, and sleeping bag on top. That night I did get a crappy night's sleep, but it was from noise (bunch of drunks), not discomfort. That pad and sleeping bag combo was unbelievably comfortable! I expected to have all kinds of trouble playing with pressure and trying to get it just right, especially considering how thin this pad is when inflated. No fuss, no muss....I just inflated it to max, capped it off, and laid on it. Zero adjustment necessary. I tried laying on my side and my back (I am NOT a stomach sleeper, so cannot comment on how well that would work), and found both positions comfortable. The truly telling thing about this endeavor: when I got up in the morning I had ZERO aches, pains, stiffness, etc. I felt like I had laid in a real bed all night, and that still blows my mind! "Take down" was simple: just pull the little rubber "check valve" flap out a little, let the air exhaust, fold twice and roll...then stuff it back in the little included drawstring pouch. Am I glad I bought this sleeping pad? HELL YES! If you need something compact, lightweight, AND comfortable (as well as affordable), THIS IS IT!

I bought this pad after doing some research for a comfortable sleep pad that was affordable. I take annual trips to the BWCA in northern Minnesota every year in late September and I was looking for a pad that would insulate, as well as provide comfort from the ground. This pad was great, I didn’t feel the ground at all, while sleeping on my back, or on my side. I am not a big guy 5'9 185 so I can't say it will be the same for everyone but my belief is that it would be. The pad has a great design and is very easy to inflate, and deflate in very little time. I believe it took me maybe ten breaths to inflate and I deflated this thing in maybe thirty seconds. It packs down very small and absolutely conserved much needed space. I have two self-inflatables that cost much more than this does and this pad was just as comfortable, packed smaller, and took way less time to inflate. The insulation factor was there as well. The temps for my trip were in the low forties, and high thirties with wind and rain, I never once felt the ground affecting my warmth. All in all, this pad was nice to have, easy to set up and take down, and packed very small. The only thing that kept me from giving this pad a five star rating was the width of the pad. The pad is not very wide which made for some uncomfortable moments. When I would lay on my back and have my arms at my side they would fit on the pad, but if I crossed my hands on my chest and had my elbows out a little bit my arms would not fit on the pad, this made sleeping a bit awkward at times and caused me to have to adjust the way I sleep. Probably has way more to do with me and my comfort than anything with the pad but it is worth noting that if you are a bigger person you may want to find a pad that fits your sleeping needs. If you can deal with your arms not being on the pad then this pad is perfect. Again this pad really sets the bar high for other pads in the same price range to compare to, and with all the other pads I have seen and tried I am not sure that many can compare. I would absolutely buy again in the future, and already have this in my shopping cart for my wife and kids for our next trip.

This thing is so compact and lightweight that I'll never go back to a close-cell foam pad again! Yes it's not one of the name brand ones, but those are super expensive and I wanted to try an air pad without coughing up the big bucks. Company- I've never heard of this company before but after a tip from a friend I went for it. Glad I did! Going to check out what else they have. No joke! -Comfort This things is very comfortable! I've slept on it for 3 weeks now since originally shooting a review for it (which was after two nights). I LOVE that I can sleep on my side. The claimed 1.3 r-value is pretty realistic. I'm 5 foot 11 inches and it fits me perfectly. Did I mention how comfortable I am sleeping on my side?! Ease of use- The inflation port seals well and has not leaked on me. It's actually double sealed and the inner-flap keeps the air inside sealed after each breath you blow into it. Deflating it is just as easy. I like to roll it up first to get all the air out, unroll, then fold it up into halves, halves again, roll again, and put back into the original pouch. Durability- I've had this down on a tent floor on top of gravel, rocks, and even in a car on top of cardboard. I've slept on it with a sleeping bag, without a bag, in jeans, in shorts, on my back, on my side, sat on it, hung out on it with my stomach and elbows, and on and on! It's held up really well!

I used this pad for a summit campout on Mt. Baldy last month and it was great. This pad is a great backpacking pad to use in the summer and it can be a great 3-season pad if used correctly. Very comfortable, extremely light and compact. The setup process is pretty quick and easy. About 7-8 breaths and it is fully inflated and ready for use. The R-Value on this pad is relatively low, (r1.3 good for 48°F) which means it won't provide much insulating warmth from the ground in colder temps/landscapes. On the Mt. Baldy summit, where the night temp was at 23° F, i paired this pad with the Thermarest Z-Lite, an Aegis Max Down Bag and a Sea-to-Summit bag liner; I found myself warm and comfortable all night long. If you're a cold sleeper, I would recommend combining this pad with a foam-type pad for added insulation, such as the Thermarest Z-Lite if using in fall or spring. If venturing out in the snow or the desert where night temps can be frigid, i would opt out of using this pad. All in all, a really great pad for the price!

Here is an in-depth review of this pad and the next 4 competitors. At the bottom is the summary of this model overall. 1st Left Blue = HuTools Sleeping Pad (with pillow & inflator) 16.25 oz (heavier than most) 1.9" thick 76.5"x22.8" when open (Tallest of 5), 8.7"x3.5" when in the storage bag R rating unavailable (feels like a summer pad) Weight limit unknown (held my 230lbs "ok") +Good size, comes with a pillow and inflator (Pillow is not comfortable and the inflator wasn't really useful for us) -Makes lots of cracking noises when even the slightest movement on it. By our rating, 3rd out of 5 (for features/value and length) 2nd Light Green = HIKENTURE Camping Pad (2019 edition) 13.4 oz 2.36" thick (thicker than most) 72.8x22" when open, 10"x4" when in the bag R 1.3 (likely accurate) Weight limit 200lbs (least of 5) +Pretty light -Too small By our rating, 5th out of 5 (just too small and weak, not very comfortable) 3rd Middle Dark Green = Sleepingo Camping Sleeping Pad 14.5 oz 2.2" Thick (good thickness) 75x23" when open (good length), 8"x3.5" when in the bag (one of smallest) R2.1 (close to accurate) Weight limit 350lbs (highest of the 5) +Very comfortable -The air valve isn't as comfortable as the others By our rating, 1st out of 5 (by far the most comfortable, if a better air valve this would be close to perfect) 4th Green = Outdoorsman Lab Camping Sleeping Pad 16 oz (pretty heavy compared to others) 2.2" Thick (good thickness) 73"x21" when open, 8"x3" when in the bag (smallest) R 2.2 (likely overestimated) Weight limit unknown (held up my 230lbs) +Nothing uniquely great to point out, overall good -The valve is not comfortable or as good quality. By our rating, 4th out of 5 (Overall ok, but nothing makes this stand out above the others) 5th Right Forrest Green = Ryno Tuff Sleeping Pad (with pillow) ~13 oz (lightest of the 5) ~2" thick 75"x24" when open (good length, widest pad), 11"x4" when in bag (largest in bag) R2.2 (likely overestimated) 330lbs weight rated (one of the highest) +Comes with a pillow (which isn't very comfortable), has buttons which you can use to connect 2 pads together (great idea), comes with a repair kit By our rating, 2nd out of 5 (Good value with the pillow, buttons is a great feature and plenty long for tall people) Outdoorsman Lab Camping Sleeping Pad was the 2nd least expensive pad and overall it was pretty good, the only reason it came in 4th is that it was simply a "good pad" for the price. If it came to comfort rating for a pad only (not considering the not good valve or other pads bonus items) I'd had swapped it to 3rd.

I’ll start by saying I absolutely love this pad. My son and I are avid campers and backpackers, and I was looking for a small, light pad for him to carry in his pack (he is 5). I am very impressed. Because I already have the therma rest trail pro women’s, I will use that as my comparison for this review. Price: The therma-rest is more than twice the price of this pad. Great value. Size: It packs up to about the size of my hand and is extremely lightweight. My therma-light women’s doesn’t hold a candle to how small this pad packs. It also longer and wider than my therma rest. (See pictures) Weight: The overall weight when packed of both of these packs is about the same, my therma-rest just takes up more bulk because of the insulation. Which brings me to my next point... Insulation: This pad has no insulation like my therma rest, which may be a factor if you plan to backpack in cold weather. Comfort and sleep ability: My therma rest is slightly more comfortable. I’m going to try to explain this best I can. When you are laying on a pad on your stomach, for instance, and you push back on your knees to sit up, your knees push against the ground. If there are pressure points, you will feel the ground. When you are laying flat, however, the air pressure is even and it’s like you’re sleeping on air. I don’t have this with my therma rest, which does have more bulk to it. The differences in comfort are actually so slight that I had to switch back and forth and really think about it. However, I do think I prefer the comfort of my therma rest slightly more. Overall conclusion: I really like this pad. I think that especially, with it being for my son and him weighing less, he will sleep great on it. Do I prefer my therma rest in terms of sleep ability slightly more? Yeah. But for the price, would I take his backpacking for myself to save space if needed and have a good nights sleep? Heck yeah. And at this price point, you can’t beat it.

I had done research upon research upon research for the perfect sleeping pad. I tried countless models of nearly every brand. Comparing pros and cons of each style, brand, etc. The 3 main goals were light weight, comfortable, and easily packable for backpacking trips while trying to remain budget concious (especially because we needed two - one for my fiancé and one for me). I am overwhelmingly impressed and grateful for this sleeping pad. It is so light, so small (when packed) and comes with its own stuffsack. It takes up next to no room in my pack. Most other sleeping pads of this style are well over 100 bucks. Especially ultra light versions. We had decided on the design of “pocketed cells” because when you lie down, the air shifts to fill in the small of the back and other pressure points. Foam pads stay pretty firm and many other pads feel wobbly and like you’re laying on a pool float. This pad is so stable when you lie down and move around. This pad checked off everything I was looking for and I could not believe the price. I thought it was a “too good to be true price” and that we may end up with an inferior product. That is absolutely NOT the case. This is as high in quality as all of the other $100+ pads at REI. I can not recommend this pad enough. I have already been spreading the work to my friends. If you are on the fence, buy this. Seriously. You’ll save a ton of money, space in your pack, and pain in the morning.